Fly
on the wall
Harish
Gupta
Why
Delhi Is Betting on Ashwini Vaishnav
Ashwini
Vaishnav is not the kind of minister who dominates television panels
or daily headlines. He keeps a deliberately low profile, avoids the
media glare, and operates with the demeanour of a technocrat rather
than a political showman. Yet, in Narendra Modi’s government, his
importance far outweighs his visibility.
Vaishnav’s
strength lies in a rare convergence of skills. A former IAS officer
with an engineering degree from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from Wharton,
he embodies the Modi government’s preferred model of
leadership—technically grounded, administratively sharp, and
relentlessly execution-focused. As the minister handling Railways,
Electronics and IT, he is seen as a hands-on administrator who
understands both policy design and the nuts and bolts of delivery.
He
has also cultivated a reputation for accessibility. Unlike many
senior ministers, Vaishnav uses social media proactively, responding
to public grievances and tracking complaints in real time. Beyond
this, he holds the crucial Information and Broadcasting portfolio,
placing him at the heart of the government’s sensitive media
management operations, including coordination with the PMO.
Reflecting this expanded role, a wing of the government’s top media
team now functions from Rail Bhawan itself—an unusual but telling
institutional coordination.
It
is against this backdrop that his quiet arrival in Washington a few
days ago assumes significance. Officially, the visit focused on
critical minerals. Politically and economically, it was about much
more. Vaishnav does not hold a trade or mining portfolio. His
presence signalled something else: that he was acting as the Prime
Minister’s economic emissary.
By
sending a minister who combines proximity to Modi with direct control
over industrial execution, New Delhi signalled seriousness to
Washington. This was not exploratory diplomacy, but negotiation with
intent. While External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar continues to
frame the strategic narrative and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal
guards the trade perimeter, the center of gravity has clearly
shifted. He has also been sent to Davos at the World Economic Forum
meet. The conversation has moved from diplomacy to
deployability. Implementers are now at the forefront—and in that
transition, Ashwini Vaishnav has emerged as Modi's muscat.
Ankita
Bhandari case: BJP's Self-Inflicted Crisis
The
BJP has perfected the art of marketing a political narrative putting
rivals to lick the dust in states after states. Most of the Chief
Ministers of the BJP-ruled states are having a comfortable time
unless the high command decides to show them the door. For a while,
everything seemed to be moving smoothly for the Pushkar Singh Dhami
government in Uttarakhand. His standing was high with the top
leadership of both the RSS and the BJP in terms of delivery and
political management. But chinks in his armory surfaced in the murder
of Ankita Bhandari case.
More
than three years after this hotel receptionist was killed – and
seven months after the accused in the case were convicted – fresh
allegations surfaced with a senior BJP leader being accused of being
involved in it. The fresh outrage forced the Chief Minister to
visit Ankita Bhandari's parents and order a CBI probe to identify the
alleged “VIP” involved in her murder.
This
came as a shot in arm to the Congress and put the BJP on a weak
wicket. The reason lay not in the investigation itself but in a
series of avoidable missteps by BJP leaders that steadily muddied the
narrative. If a CBI inquiry was inevitable to establish the identity
of the VIP, the question arises as to why the same was not done
earlier. The trigger, perhaps, was
when
State BJP president Mahendra Bhatt branded whistle blower in the case
a “Congress puppet.” The whistle blower, a North East student
claimed that a person referred to as “G” was exerting pressure on
Ankita Bhandari through Pulkit Arya for “special services,” and
that her refusal led to her murder. Following these claims, the name
of a senior BJP leader began circulating, forcing him to seek
judicial intervention.
What’s
in a Name? BJP’s Quiet Battle Over New Chief
The
party’s top brass has quietly issued an internal advisory: senior
leaders are requested—the word is doing heavy lifting here—to
address the new chief strictly as Adhyakshji. Not Bhaiyyaji, not
Nitin babu, and certainly not the dangerously affectionate “Arre
Nitin!” The problem is age. Nabin is younger than almost everyone
who matters, and Bihar BJP is populated by veterans who have been
calling each other bhai since the Mandal era. Old habits, like old
leaders, refuse to retire.
There
is genuine anxiety in Delhi that a casual bhaiyyaji at a public
meeting could puncture the carefully constructed authority of the new
president. Two
BJP Chief Ministers reportedly were heard calling him by the first
name. After
all, respect in politics is often measured less by designation and
more by how stiffly one folds their hands. For now, the circular
stands. Whether Adhyakshji does is another matter entirely.
Why
Congress Never Learns: TN Next
If
there is one political lesson the Congress steadfastly refuses to
absorb, it is the cost of indecision. The party dragged its feet on
alliances in Bihar till the last moment and paid the price. Earlier,
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa followed the same script—confusion
and delayed decisions. Now, Tamil Nadu is beginning to look
worryingly familiar.
The
state unit is caught in a tug of war between the old guard and the
Rahul Gandhi–aligned younger leadership. Veterans want to
consolidate the alliance with the ruling DMK, arguing that survival
in Tamil Nadu depends on staying firmly within the Dravidian fold.
The younger leaders—Manickam Tagore and Jothimani —want the
Congress to keep its options open by exploring a possible
understanding with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri
Kazhagam (TVK).
Rahul
Gandhi’s recent Tamil Nadu visit was expected to bring clarity.
Instead, it deepened the ambiguity. His public criticism of the
Censor Board over the denial of a Pongal release to Vijay’s film
Jana Nayagan was read as a political signal, unsettling the DMK while
energising the pro-TVK camp. For now, Rahul Gandhi appears to be
reassuring the DMK even as he encourages his younger colleagues to
keep the Vijay option alive—as leverage for more seats and
power-sharing. It is a familiar Congress habit: hedge everywhere,
decide nowhere, and hope time resolves contradictions. History
suggests it rarely does.
